By
The Associated Press
JERUSALEM - Israelis and Palestinians buried their dead yesterday - evidence of an upsurge in violence - as Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon prepared to take office with a mandate from Israel's people to put a stop to five months of unrest.
With his broad-based coalition government mostly in place, Sharon is set to take power tomorrow. Palestinian militants have threatened to welcome Sharon with an onslaught of bomb attacks.
Already on alert, Israeli police went on emergency footing yesterday, canceling courses and putting more officers on the streets while asking the military for reinforcements to help stop a wave of bombings in Israeli cities.
Two of the three Israeli victims of a suicide bomb attack in Netanya were buried yesterday. They included Naftali Din, 85, the first mayor of the village of Tel Mond. The bomber, who has not been identified, set off an explosive in a crowd of people Sunday.
Meanwhile, thousands attended the funeral of a Palestinian gunman, Osama Naghnaghia, 21, who was shot dead Sunday night in a battle with Israeli soldiers near the West Bank town of Jenin.
Five months of fighting has claimed 423 lives, including 347 Palestinians, 57 Israeli Jews and 19 others.
Sharon, elected in a landslide Feb. 6, has demanded that all violence stop before peace talks resume. However, he has not outlined what measures he would take to end the clashes, triggered by his visit to a disputed holy site in Jerusalem Sept. 28.
Sharon plans to present his broad-based "national unity" government to the parliament for approval tomorrow. If it passes a vote of confidence, Sharon assumes the premiership.
First on his agenda is combating the violence. Sharon has charged that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is responsible for attacks by failing to rein in militants and preaching hatred of Israel. Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation, a key to foiling bombing attacks, evaporated with the outbreak of violence.
Israel has closed off the West Bank and Gaza Strip in an attempt to keep Palestinian militants from entering Israel. Though the bombings show that goal has not been fully achieved, the closure has devastated the Palestinian economy, keeping about 120,000 Palestinian from reaching their jobs inside Israel.
While the Gaza Strip is surrounded by a high fence, Israeli officials say it is impossible to completely seal off the West Bank, where hundreds of unpaved roads allow Palestinians to easily bypass Israeli checkpoints.
Up to 20,000 Palestinians illegally cross into Israel from the West Bank every day, the daily Yediot Ahronot reported.
